Red Clay Strays Deliver Heavenly Rendition of ‘Demons in Your Choir’ at 2026 ACM Awards

Backed by a full gospel choir, the performance showed why the Alabama band was worthy of their win for Group of the Year The Red Clay Strays performed their transcendent gospel-tinged rave-up “Demons in Your Choir” at the Academy of Country Music Awards Sunday. The Alabama crew has always straddled Southern rock and country well enough to have opened for the Rolling Stones in 2024, but they fit right in on the ACMs stage, thanks in part to frontman Brandon Coleman’s booming voice, pitched with j

The performance was a fitting reminder of why the Red Clay Strays won the ACM Award for New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year in 2025 — and how they followed that up with a win for Group of the Year earlier Sunday night. “Just at a loss…it doesn’t feel real, truly,” Coleman said while accepting the prize. “We’re just some rednecks form Mobile, Alabama, and when we started playing in bars, we never thought we’d go this far. We’re truly grateful and thankful for everybody.” They previewed another Grateful track, “People Hatin’,” in November at another trophy toss, the CMA Awards, where they also claimed honors for being Vocal Group of the Year. That song charted on the rock, country, and adult alternative airplay charts, proving their crossover appeal. “I don’t think we’re country,” Coleman said in 2024 . And it’s funny, because actual country music like Sturgill [Simpson] and Tyler Childers get lumped into Americana.” The ACM Awards took place at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena, where Shania Twain served as host. Other performers at the event included Cody Johnson, Lainey Wilson, Riley Green, Kacey Musgraves, Little Big Town, and Miranda Lambert. The ACM Awards are produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Corp., the parent company of Rolling Stone.

Key points

• The performance was a fitting reminder of why the Red Clay Strays won the ACM Award for New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year in 2025 — and how they followed that up with a win for Group of the Year e…
• “Just at a loss…it doesn’t feel real, truly,” Coleman said while accepting the prize.
• “We’re just some rednecks form Mobile, Alabama, and when we started playing in bars, we never thought we’d go this far.
• We’re truly grateful and thankful for everybody.” They previewed another Grateful track, “People Hatin’,” in November at another trophy toss, the CMA Awards, where they also claimed honors for bein…
• That song charted on the rock, country, and adult alternative airplay charts, proving their crossover appeal.